Accurately guessing the thoughts and feelings of another person, known as empathic accuracy, is thought to be a useful skill across many domains. However, the evidence supporting the value of empathic accuracy has been mixed, perhaps because the domains previously examined did not require accuracy for functionality. Negotiation may be one domain in which being accurate really matters for positive outcomes for the perceiver. Additionally, men and women may have different motivations to be accurate, including the presence of a competitive or cooperative situation. The primary research questions of this study are: 1) Is empathic accuracy related to outcomes in the negotiation?; 2) Is accuracy dependent on how the negotiation is framed?; and 3) Does how the negotiation is framed affect men’s and women’s empathic accuracy differently? Individual differences in personal power and Machiavellianism are also examined in relation to accuracy in this context. In this study, 336 participants interacted in same-sex dyads to negotiate over small items in either a competitive or cooperative context, resulting in a 2 (gender) x 2 (context) design. Accuracy was measured both as empathic accuracy for partner’s thoughts during the negotiation as well as accuracy for guessing their partner’s idiosyncratic item preferences (provided prior to the negotiation). Actor-Partner Interdependence models were used to estimate the contributions of each person in the dyad to the outcome of interest. Neither empathic accuracy nor accuracy for guessing item values led to any increases in personal gain in the negotiation. However, empathic accuracy was predictive of satisfaction with the outcome of the negotiation, such that more accurate actors and having more accurate partners both led to significantly increased satisfaction with the outcome. Contrary to the hypotheses, accuracy was not affected by gender or the framing of the negotiation or any interactions between the two variables. Individual differences in power and Machiavellianism did not lead to increases in perceiver empathic accuracy, but rather led to decreases in partner’s accuracy: actors that had partners who were high in power or high in Machiavellianism were less empathically accurate. The implications for negotiation research and future empathic accuracy research are discussed.

Empathy is a central concern in the counselling process. Though much researched, and broadly commented upon, empathy is still largely understood through the words within a client-counsellor interaction. This semantic focus continues despite converging lines of evidence that suggest other elements of an interaction – for example body language – may be involved in the communication of empathy. In this thesis, the foundations of empathy are examined, focusing on empathy’s professional instantiation. These foundations are then related to the idea that the face, and its ability to express emotion, are an important part of the empathic process. What follows is an experiment testing 60 participants. This was a between groups design, with participants assigned to two even groups; one group receiving training in how emotion appears on the face: using the training program eMETT; the other reading a passage on empathy. Following the intervention, hypothesised group differences were assessed using the following analyses. Firstly, an Independent sample T-test, compared group means on the Ickes Empathic Accuracy paradigm, the measure of empathy used. Secondly, a further Independent sample T-test assessed the effect of eMETT training. Thirdly, an ANCOVA, evaluated whether the obtained results may have been confounded by age difference between the experimental groups. Finally a correlational analyse tested for any relationship between baseline and outcome measures. The hypothesis tested stated: training in facial expressions of emotion will enhance counsellors’ empathic accuracy; a hypothesis for which positive evidence was shown. The implications of this evidence suggest efficacy of the eMETT training to enhance empathic accuracy, though this is qualified through critical examination of the experimental method. Suggestions for refinement of this method are discussed.

<p>W. Ickes, L. Stinson, V, Bisonette och S. Garcia (1990) standard stimulus paradigm är en metod för att mäta avläsning av en individs tankar och känslor. För att undersöka tjejer och killars empatiska avläsningsförmåga testades gymnasieelever med Ickes metod. Nittioåtta elever fick se en film som stannades av undersökningsledarna vid tio tillfällen. Deltagarna skulle vid varje stopp försöka läsa av kvinnan i filmens tankar och känslor och skriva ner dessa. Resultaten visade att tjejer är bättre än killar på att läsa av andra. Betyg i svenska och samhällskunskap, men inte matematik hade positivt samband med empati. Studien visade också att individer som gråter ofta har bra avläsningsförmåga. Tjejer med bra betyg och nära till gråt verkar ha de bästa intellektuella och emotionella verktygen för empatisk avläsning.</p>

No description available.

W. Ickes, L. Stinson, V, Bisonette och S. Garcia (1990) standard stimulus paradigm är en metod för att mäta avläsning av en individs tankar och känslor. För att undersöka tjejer och killars empatiska avläsningsförmåga testades gymnasieelever med Ickes metod. Nittioåtta elever fick se en film som stannades av undersökningsledarna vid tio tillfällen. Deltagarna skulle vid varje stopp försöka läsa av kvinnan i filmens tankar och känslor och skriva ner dessa. Resultaten visade att tjejer är bättre än killar på att läsa av andra. Betyg i svenska och samhällskunskap, men inte matematik hade positivt samband med empati. Studien visade också att individer som gråter ofta har bra avläsningsförmåga. Tjejer med bra betyg och nära till gråt verkar ha de bästa intellektuella och emotionella verktygen för empatisk avläsning.

Relationship violence is a serious social problem. Given the prevalence and detrimental effects of relationship violence, much research has been undertaken to investigate the various risk factors that may be associated with this type of violence. In the present research, I examined the interrelationships among several correlates of violence (including rejection sensitivity, cognitive biases, decoding deficits and attachment style) in order to understand what differentiates physically abusive from non-abusive individuals. Hence, the current program of studies examined aggressive behaviours between partners with a focus on risk factors for violent behaviour in men and women and in particular on the role of rejection sensitivity in physically aggressive behaviour. In order to examine these constructs, the thesis includes six chapters. Following a review of the literature, a rationale was provided for the creation of an amended measure of rejection sensitivity as Downey and Feldman’s (1996) Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire was not suitable for the purposes of the current thesis. Hence, a series of validation studies were conducted in Chapter 2 to test and develop a revised measure of rejection sensitivity that would be applicable to a wider range of intimate relationships (dating, cohabiting and married) and contexts. The study reported in Chapter 3, investigated the role of rejection sensitivity, hostile attributions and attachment patterns in the etiology of intimate partner violence. This study provided preliminary support for insecure attachment and negative attributions as the link between expectations of rejection and intimate partner violence, with a stronger link for male-perpetrated violence compared to female-perpetrated violence. Consistent with the marital violence literature, when mediator and moderator relationships existed, these occurred predominantly in married relationships (as opposed to dating or defacto relationships). The studies reported in Chapters 4 and 5 built on the foundations of Chapter 3 by incorporating two constructs, the ‘overattribution bias’ and empathic accuracy into the investigation of the associations between rejection sensitivity and violence. Specifically, the study reported in Chapter 4 examined the decoding deficits and inferential biases of maritally-violent and maritally-violent rejection-sensitive men when interpreting their own partner’s messages whilst engaging in a laboratory-based decoding task. Overall, results showed that maritally-violent partner rejection-sensitive men were less accurate than were maritally non-violent partner rejection-sensitive men when interpreting their wives’ positive messages and more accurate when interpreting their wives’ negative messages. Likewise, maritally-violent rejection-sensitive men displayed an inferential bias to perceive their wives’ messages as being more negative, critical and rejecting in intent than did maritally non-violent rejection-sensitive men. In addition, maritally-violent men as a group were less accurate for their own partner’s positive and neutral messages than were maritally non-violent men and more accurate for their own wives’ negative messages than were maritally non-violent men. Finally, maritally-violent men tended to attribute their wives’ messages as being significantly more negative, critical and rejecting in intent than did maritally non-violent men. Overall, the data suggested that both rejection sensitivity and marital violence were key factors that were associated with married men’s decoding problems and biased interpretation of their own wives’ messages. In extending the previous findings, the study reported in Chapter 5 examined the decoding accuracy and inferential biases of both maritally-violent and maritally-violent rejection-sensitive men and women in relation to female strangers’ messages. There were no differences between maritally-violent rejection-sensitive women and maritally non-violent rejection-sensitive women on decoding deficits and inferential biases for female strangers. However, there was a trend for maritally-violent women to be more negatively biased than were maritally non-violent women when interpreting female strangers’ messages. Additionally, in contrast to the findings of Chapter 4, the data pointed to independent relationships among rejection sensitivity, violence and married men’s decoding deficits and biases for female strangers’ messages. In particular, there were no differences in decoding deficits or inferential biases between maritally violent rejection-sensitive and maritally non-violent rejection-sensitive men when decoding female strangers’ messages. Instead, the data revealed that maritally-violent men were poor decoders of female strangers’ positive messages compared to maritally non-violent men and maritally-violent women. In relation to negative messages, maritally-violent men were more accurate for female strangers’ negative messages than were maritally non-violent men. Maritally violent men had the highest decoding accuracy for negative messages. Maritally-violent men also tended to attribute female strangers’ messages as being significantly more negative, critical and rejecting in intent than did maritally non-violent men and maritally-violent women. Finally, the results showed that maritally-violent rejection-sensitive men’s decoding deficits and biases were relationship specific whereas maritally-violent men’s decoding deficits and cognitive biases were global deficits that extended to women other than the men’s wives. Implications of the findings were discussed, as well as the strengths and limitations of the study. The discussion concludes with implications for theory and practice and suggestions for future research.

Au cours des dernières années, il a été démontré que la façon dont la douleur est communiquée, par l’entremise de comportements de douleur, est associée à l’incapacité auto-rapportée et à la trajectoire de chronicité des individus souffrant de douleur persistante. Cependant, très peu de recherches ont investigué le lien entre la perception de la douleur dans le couple et la trajectoire de chronicité des individus souffrant de douleur persistante. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, trois études ont été réalisées afin de mieux comprendre les facteurs impliqués dans la communication de la douleur au sein de couples dont l’un des partenaires souffrait de douleur persistante. Une première étude a été réalisée afin de valider une version francophone du « Pain Disability Index (PDI) », un questionnaire développé pour évaluer l’incapacité reliée à la douleur persistante. Comme attendu, les résultats indiquent que cette version du PDI reproduit la structure factorielle de la version originale du PDI et présente une bonne fidélité et validité. Une autre étude a été réalisée auprès de couples dont l’un des partenaires souffre de douleur persistante afin d’évaluer les corrélats de la justesse empathique, d’explorer la relation entre la justesse empathique reliée à la douleur et différentes variables associées à l’adaptation du patient et du conjoint et enfin d’explorer la relation entre la justesse empathique reliée à la douleur et des variables relationnelles. Les résultats suggèrent que de façon générale, la justesse empathique est associée à des résultats négatifs chez les patients souffrant de douleur persistante et ne semble pas un corrélat important de la satisfaction conjugale. Enfin, une dernière étude a été réalisée afin de comprendre l’influence de la concordance des pensées catastrophiques dans le couple sur l’émission de comportements de douleur et sur la perception de la douleur et de l’incapacité lors d’une tâche physiquement exigeante. Il a été trouvé que les participants ayant un niveau élevé de pensées catastrophiques, qui étaient en relation avec un conjoint ayant un faible niveau de pensées catastrophiques, ont émis plus de comportements de douleur que tous les autres groupes. Ces résultats suggèrent que les personnes souffrant de douleur persistante ayant un niveau élevé de pensées catastrophiques peuvent avoir besoin d’augmenter le « volume » de la communication de la douleur afin de compenser pour la tendance des conjoints ayant un faible niveau de pensées catastrophiques à sous-estimer les signaux de douleur. En résumé, puisque l’émission de comportements de douleur est associée à l’incapacité auto-rapportée des individus souffrant de douleur persistante, il est possible que toute situation qui contribue à une augmentation des comportements de douleur, contribuera également à un niveau d’incapacité plus élevé. Ainsi, d’un point de vue clinique, les interventions qui amènent le conjoint à faire de l’écoute active et à valider la personne souffrante, pourraient réduire la présence des comportements de douleur et potentiellement avoir un impact sur le niveau d’incapacité des personnes souffrant de douleur persistante. / In the past, it has been shown that pain communication, through the display of pain behaviours, is related to self-reported disability and pain chronicity. However, few studies have investigated the link between pain perception in couples and the chronic trajectory of individuals suffering from persistent pain. In the current thesis, three studies were conducted in order to understand the factors that are involved in pain communication in couples where one partner suffers from persistent pain. The first study aimed to validate a francophone version of the Pain Disability Index (PDI), a questionnaire, developed to assess disability associated with persistent pain. As expected, the results showed that this version of the PDI replicate the factorial structure of the original version of the PDI and showed a good reliability and validity. Another study was conducted with couples where one partner suffers from persistent pain to investigate the correlates of empathic accuracy, explore the relation between pain-related empathic accuracy and different variables associated with adaptational outcomes for chronic pain patients and their spouses, and explore the relation between pain-related empathic accuracy and relational variables. The results generally suggest that empathic accuracy is associated with negative outcomes for the patient, and might not be an important correlate of marital satisfaction. Finally, a last study was conducted to understand the influence of couple concordance of catastrophizing on the display of pain behaviours and on the perception of pain and disability in a physically demanding task. Results revealed that high catastrophizing pain participants, who were in a relationship with a low catastrophizing spouse, displayed more pain behaviours than all other groups. These findings suggest that high catastrophizing chronic pain persons might need to increase the ‘volume’ of pain communication in order to compensate for low catastrophizing spouses’ tendency to underestimate the severity of their pain experience. In brief, since the display of pain behaviours is related to self-reported disability of chronic pain persons, it is possible that any situation that contributes to the increase of pain behaviours, will also contribute to a higher disability level. Therefore, from a clinical perspective, interventions that lead the spouse to engage in active listening and to respond with validating statements, could reduce the amount of pain behaviours and possibly have an impact on the disability level of chronic pain persons.

Au cours des dernières années, il a été démontré que la façon dont la douleur est communiquée, par l’entremise de comportements de douleur, est associée à l’incapacité auto-rapportée et à la trajectoire de chronicité des individus souffrant de douleur persistante. Cependant, très peu de recherches ont investigué le lien entre la perception de la douleur dans le couple et la trajectoire de chronicité des individus souffrant de douleur persistante. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, trois études ont été réalisées afin de mieux comprendre les facteurs impliqués dans la communication de la douleur au sein de couples dont l’un des partenaires souffrait de douleur persistante. Une première étude a été réalisée afin de valider une version francophone du « Pain Disability Index (PDI) », un questionnaire développé pour évaluer l’incapacité reliée à la douleur persistante. Comme attendu, les résultats indiquent que cette version du PDI reproduit la structure factorielle de la version originale du PDI et présente une bonne fidélité et validité. Une autre étude a été réalisée auprès de couples dont l’un des partenaires souffre de douleur persistante afin d’évaluer les corrélats de la justesse empathique, d’explorer la relation entre la justesse empathique reliée à la douleur et différentes variables associées à l’adaptation du patient et du conjoint et enfin d’explorer la relation entre la justesse empathique reliée à la douleur et des variables relationnelles. Les résultats suggèrent que de façon générale, la justesse empathique est associée à des résultats négatifs chez les patients souffrant de douleur persistante et ne semble pas un corrélat important de la satisfaction conjugale. Enfin, une dernière étude a été réalisée afin de comprendre l’influence de la concordance des pensées catastrophiques dans le couple sur l’émission de comportements de douleur et sur la perception de la douleur et de l’incapacité lors d’une tâche physiquement exigeante. Il a été trouvé que les participants ayant un niveau élevé de pensées catastrophiques, qui étaient en relation avec un conjoint ayant un faible niveau de pensées catastrophiques, ont émis plus de comportements de douleur que tous les autres groupes. Ces résultats suggèrent que les personnes souffrant de douleur persistante ayant un niveau élevé de pensées catastrophiques peuvent avoir besoin d’augmenter le « volume » de la communication de la douleur afin de compenser pour la tendance des conjoints ayant un faible niveau de pensées catastrophiques à sous-estimer les signaux de douleur. En résumé, puisque l’émission de comportements de douleur est associée à l’incapacité auto-rapportée des individus souffrant de douleur persistante, il est possible que toute situation qui contribue à une augmentation des comportements de douleur, contribuera également à un niveau d’incapacité plus élevé. Ainsi, d’un point de vue clinique, les interventions qui amènent le conjoint à faire de l’écoute active et à valider la personne souffrante, pourraient réduire la présence des comportements de douleur et potentiellement avoir un impact sur le niveau d’incapacité des personnes souffrant de douleur persistante. / In the past, it has been shown that pain communication, through the display of pain behaviours, is related to self-reported disability and pain chronicity. However, few studies have investigated the link between pain perception in couples and the chronic trajectory of individuals suffering from persistent pain. In the current thesis, three studies were conducted in order to understand the factors that are involved in pain communication in couples where one partner suffers from persistent pain. The first study aimed to validate a francophone version of the Pain Disability Index (PDI), a questionnaire, developed to assess disability associated with persistent pain. As expected, the results showed that this version of the PDI replicate the factorial structure of the original version of the PDI and showed a good reliability and validity. Another study was conducted with couples where one partner suffers from persistent pain to investigate the correlates of empathic accuracy, explore the relation between pain-related empathic accuracy and different variables associated with adaptational outcomes for chronic pain patients and their spouses, and explore the relation between pain-related empathic accuracy and relational variables. The results generally suggest that empathic accuracy is associated with negative outcomes for the patient, and might not be an important correlate of marital satisfaction. Finally, a last study was conducted to understand the influence of couple concordance of catastrophizing on the display of pain behaviours and on the perception of pain and disability in a physically demanding task. Results revealed that high catastrophizing pain participants, who were in a relationship with a low catastrophizing spouse, displayed more pain behaviours than all other groups. These findings suggest that high catastrophizing chronic pain persons might need to increase the ‘volume’ of pain communication in order to compensate for low catastrophizing spouses’ tendency to underestimate the severity of their pain experience. In brief, since the display of pain behaviours is related to self-reported disability of chronic pain persons, it is possible that any situation that contributes to the increase of pain behaviours, will also contribute to a higher disability level. Therefore, from a clinical perspective, interventions that lead the spouse to engage in active listening and to respond with validating statements, could reduce the amount of pain behaviours and possibly have an impact on the disability level of chronic pain persons.

Empathie wird als ein multidimensionales Konstrukt verstanden, welches kognitive Aspekte wie empathische Akkuratheit (die Fähigkeit, die Emotionen einer anderen Person akkurat zu erken-nen) als auch affektive Aspekte wie Emotionskongruenz (die Fähigkeit, die Emotionen anderer zu teilen) und Mitgefühl (die Fähigkeit, ein Gefühl von Sorge für diese Person zu erleben) umfasst (z.B. Davis, 1994; Eisenberg & Fabes, 1990). Ziel der Dissertation war es zu einem umfassenden Verständnis altersbezogener Unterschiede in diesen drei Empathiefacetten beizutragen. Ausgehend von der Überlegung, dass empathische Akkuratheit wesentlich von alterssensitiven kognitiven Prozessen determiniert wird (z.B. Adolphs, 2002), während affektive Empathiefacetten vor allem altersfreundliche emotionsregulatorische Voraussetzungen haben (z.B. Eisenberg, 2000), wurde vermutet, dass empathische Akkuratheit Altersdefizite aufweist, während Gefühlskongruenz und Mitgefühl altersbezogene Zugewinne zeigen. Da Evidenz dafür vorliegt, dass altersbezogene Defizite in unterschiedlichen kognitiven und emotionalen Leistungsbereichen reduziert werden, wenn die Aufgabe eine besondere Bedeutung für Ältere hat (z.B. Hess, Rosenberg & Waters, 2001; Kunzmann & Grühn, 2005), lag ein weiteres Ziel der Studie darin, zu überprüfen, ob Altersunterschiede in der Empathie durch die Altersrelevanz der Aufgabe moderiert werden. Grund für diese Annahme liefert das Modell der selektiven Optimierung mit Kompensation (z.B. Baltes & Baltes, 1990) sowie die Selective Engagement Theorie (Hess, 2006), die übereinstimmend po-stulieren, dass Personen mit zunehmendem Alter dazu tendieren mit den ihnen zur Verfügung stehenden Ressourcen sparsam umzugehen und diese primär in Bereichen einsetzen, die sie für relevant halten. Basierend auf diesen Überlegungen wurde vermutet, dass Altersdefizite in empathischer Akkuratheit weniger wahrscheinlich sind, wenn die Aufgabe von hoher Relevanz für Ältere ist; in der Emotionskongruenz sollten sich die Altersgewinne in den für Ältere relevanten Aufgaben sogar vergrößern. Da erste Evidenz dafür vorliegt, dass Altersunterschiede im Mitgefühl nicht durch die Altersrelevanz moderiert werden, wurde vermutet, dass Ältere ein höheres Ausmaß an Mitgefühl berichten – unabhängig von der Relevanz der Aufgabe. Zur Überprüfung der Hypothesen wurden 101 jungen und 101 älteren Erwachsenen Filmausschnitte präsentiert, in denen eine junge oder eine ältere Person ein autobiografisches, für ihre Altersgruppe relevantes oder altersneutrales Erlebnis schilderte, und dabei echte Emotionen wiedererlebte. Zur Erfassung empathischer Fähigkeiten sollten die Teilnehmer mithilfe einer Emotionsadjektivliste angeben, in welchem Ausmaß die gezeigte Person sowie sie selbst jedes dieser Gefühle erlebt haben. Erwar-tungsgemäß zeigten sich für die Filme ohne besondere Altersrelevanz negative Altersunterschiede in empathischer Akkuratheit, während Gefühlskongruenz und Mitgefühl Altersgewinne aufwiesen. Wie angenommen wurden Altersdefizite in empathischer Akkuratheit durch die Altersrelevanz der Aufgabe moderiert; Ältere erzielten die gleiche Leistung wie Jüngere, wenn das geschilderte Thema von hoher Relevanz für sie war. Hingegen zeigte sich keine Moderation der Altersunterschiede für Emotionskongruenz. Wie erwartet erlebten Ältere mehr Mitgefühl als Jüngere – unabhängig von der Aufgabenrelevanz. Zusammengenommen sprechen die Befunde dafür, dass Altersunterschiede in der Empathie multidirektional und kontextabhängig verlaufen.

xv, 173 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Both Buddhist scholars and psychological researchers have suggested that mindfulness practice may result in greater empathy, but previous research has found mixed results. In addition, Buddhist philosophy suggests that mindfulness should influence the perception of and felt connection to others. Little research, however, has examined such an influence. The present studies examined the effect of dispositional mindfulness, as well as short- and long-term mindfulness meditation practice, on trait and state empathy, social perception, and felt connection to others. Study 1 manipulated mindfulness with a guided meditation CD and found that participants in this condition experienced more serenity and less negative emotion relative to control conditions. Study 1 also clarified the relationship between dispositional mindfulness (measured with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire), empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index), and felt connection (Allo-Inclusive Identity Scale). Results showed that different facets of mindfulness had different correlates. Higher observing scores were related to greater empathic concern and perspective taking; higher nonreactivity scores were related to less personal distress; and higher describing scores were associated with greater felt connection to others. Mindfulness was also associated with social perception such that higher nonreactivity scores were associated with greater ease in making emotion inferences from short video clips and higher describing scores were associated with making more mental state inferences in a modified empathic accuracy task. In Study 2, a randomized 8-week mindfulness intervention caused increases in dispositional mindfulness, especially describing scores, relative to a waitlist control condition. The intervention also resulted in increased serenity and joy and decreased negative affect and tension. Except for changes in serenity, these changes were fully mediated by increases in dispositional mindfulness. Those in the intervention condition decreased in personal distress to others' suffering, increased in the amount of mental state inferences they made for empathic accuracy targets, and increased in their ability to make inferences at times when the targets were actually having a thought or feeling. Thus, mindfulness training not only resulted in intrapersonal changes such as greater serenity and less tension; it also increased cognitive and emotional abilities important for empathy toward other people. / Committee in charge: Bertram Malle, Co-Chairperson, Psychology; Sanjay Srivastava, Co-Chairperson, Psychology; Sara Hodges, Member, Psychology; Mark Unno, Outside Member, Religious Studies